All Surfaces puts people, partnerships, and local expertise at the heart of its national growth strategy
With 46 locations across 23 states, All Surfaces is one of the largest flooring distributors in the United States, yet its foundation remains distinctly entrepreneurial. Headquartered in Bloomington, Minnesota, near Minneapolis, the company brings together a collection of long-standing, family-run businesses, including Walcro, Cartwright Distributing, Tri-State Wholesale Flooring, Blakely Products Company, All Tile CCS, and Abraham Linc, whose histories stretch back as far as 1946. Across generations, these businesses earned customer trust through service, product expertise, and a willingness to solve problems.
Today, All Surfaces combines those local strengths with the reach and resources of a national distributor. The company’s portfolio spans vinyl, laminate, wood, resilient, carpet, carpet pad, tile, and stone, alongside the installation supplies, adhesives, tools, shower systems, and other essentials professionals need to get the job done right. From residential remodels and new construction to hospitals, airports, hotels and multifamily developments, the company supports retailers, installers, contractors, and commercial teams with product selection, technical knowledge, inventory, and responsive service.
Leading at the helm is Chief Executive Officer John DeYoung, whose early career in engineering and 25 years in building materials distribution equipped him with extensive experience in operations, customer relationships, local market execution, and growth strategy. Now, with its skilled and passionate team, All Surfaces continues to strengthen its capabilities and customer experience. Construction Today sits down with John to find out more.
“Our unique position is the combination of national scale and local market intimacy. We have the reach, product breadth, and resources of one of the nation’s leading flooring and sundries distributors, but our culture is still rooted in the family-run businesses that have earned trust customer by customer within their local markets,” John begins.
“Our customers need a partner that can provide reliable inventory, strong vendor relationships, technical product knowledge, and responsive local service. In many ways, service is our product. The flooring, carpet pad, supplies and tools matter, of course, but the real value we provide is helping customers get what they need, when they need it, with the confidence that our people will help them keep jobs moving. In a competitive market, I believe our greatest differentiator is that we make it easier for customers to do business: broad product selection, strong local relationships, knowledgeable teams and the ability to support projects from everyday residential work to complex commercial applications.”
Strategic acquisitions
That same philosophy shapes All Surfaces’ approach to growth and acquisitions. For the company, expanding its network is not just about increasing scale, but about finding the right businesses and people to join the platform – businesses whose local expertise, customer relationships, and entrepreneurial spirit can complement its core values.
“Acquisitions are an important part of how we have grown, but our approach is not simply about getting bigger. The best acquisitions are those where both sides become stronger together: our platform can provide broader resources, technology, inventory, and support, while the acquired business brings market leadership, local knowledge, customer loyalty, and entrepreneurial energy,” John elaborates. “Our values are People First, Do Right, Always Improve, Go Beyond, and Let’s Go, and we look for businesses that can genuinely align with that mindset. We are particularly attracted to companies that are leaders in their local markets or are clearly winning with customers because of the strength of their people, their service model and their relationships. In distribution, people buy from people. No distribution business succeeds unless its people are excellent, customer-focused and trusted in the market.”
All Surfaces has a similar philosophy when choosing its suppliers. “Although it may sound like a cliché, we prefer to work with our suppliers as true partners. We believe we have some of the best suppliers in each product category we serve, and strong vendor relationships are a critical part of how we support our customers. I am fond of saying that our suppliers want their products in our sales team’s hands, because they know our people understand the market, understand the customer, and know how to position products responsibly and effectively. The best supplier relationships are built on mutual trust, respect, transparency and a genuine desire to see each other win. Our very best vendors are not just selling products; they are innovating with our customers’ needs in mind.”
As part of that commitment to making life easier for flooring professionals, All Surfaces is continuing to invest in tools that meet contractors where they are and help them work more efficiently. One of the most significant steps in that direction is the launch of the company’s new digital platform, ASAP.
“ASAP stands for All Surfaces All Products, and we view it as much more than a new website. It is an important part of our broader strategy to make All Surfaces easier to do business with by pairing modern digital capabilities with the service, local knowledge, and product expertise our customers already value,” John explains. “Flooring professionals are running fast-paced businesses, often managing crews, job timelines, material needs, pickups, and deliveries every day. ASAP gives customers a 24/7 resource to check account-specific pricing and local inventory, research products, review photos and specifications, place and monitor orders, access order history, coordinate delivery or will-call options, request quotes, and create job-specific shopping lists. That means fewer delays, fewer order errors, better planning and more confidence before materials are needed on site.”
Prioritizing partnerships
Ultimately, All Surfaces’ growth is rooted in a simple but powerful philosophy: to combine national scale with local expertise and put people and customers first. By investing in its teams, supplier partnerships, technology, and expanding network, the company is well-positioned to build on its strong foundations while continuing to make life easier for flooring professionals. With an entrepreneurial spirit at its core and a clear vision for the future, All Surfaces is set to strengthen its position as a trusted, forward-thinking leader in flooring distribution.
“Over the next three to five years, I would like to see All Surfaces continue to grow into the strongest flooring and supplies distribution platform in the country. We have already done a great deal of the hard work required to bring multiple great businesses together as one company, including meaningful investments in ERP, operations, purchasing, finance, payroll, and other core systems,” John reveals.
“I believe there is still significant opportunity ahead of us. We have people who know our customers, understand our markets, and care deeply about doing the right thing every day. As we grow, staying true to those strengths will matter just as much as adding locations, products or capabilities.”
“My hope is that in three to five years, All Surfaces is known not only for its scale, but for being one of the easiest and most trusted companies to do business with in our industry,” he says, concluding our conversation. “Flooring is a relationship business, and we are fortunate to have great people, great customers and great supplier partners. Our job is to keep earning that trust every day by being easier to do business with, investing in our team, improving how we operate and staying close to what customers need. If we continue doing that well, I believe All Surfaces has a very bright future.”
